Council tax bills in Oxfordshire are to rocket by nearly 12 per cent.

The April tax hike, likely to be one of the biggest in the country, will see average Band D bills rise £64 to more than £600 - with police and district demands on top.

County councillors, who voted through the inflation-busting rise last night, said it was the only way to minimise cuts to services.

But £10m will still be slashed from social services over the next three years, and a family centre, old people's home and three resource centres for disabled children are still earmarked for closure.

Spending on education will also be nearly £3m below the level recommended by the Government.

Cllr Brian Hodgson, leader of the council's Labour group, said: "Our budget is not perfect. It is very far from perfect. But given the context, it is a well-balanced budget."

Anti-cuts protesters held a last-ditch demonstration outside County Hall before yesterday's meeting.

But councillors voted in favour of Labour's 11.8 per cent rise - well above the Government's recommended level of 4.5 per cent.

Most Tories abstained but three voted for the Labour budget in a tactical move to stop Liberal Democrat proposals being adopted.

The £379m budget, which forms part of a three-year spending plan for the first time, includes £214.5m for education - that's up £5.1m on last year but still £2.9m below the figure recommended by the Government. Social services will be restructured over the next three years to bring them into line with Government spending levels. So far, only Kidlington Family Centre has been singled out for the axe.

Labour leaders used a Mori poll of 1,000 taxpayers - which found that two-thirds were prepared to pay £50 more tax - to help justify the rise. But deputy prime minister John Prescott could still limit the increase if he deems it "excessive".

Mr Hodgson said he was confident Oxfordshire would not be capped. "You have to go on the overall budget increase, which is 5.9 per cent. Some counties may well go six per cent or more and they are more likely to be capped."

Liberal Democrats proposed raising bills by nearly 15 per cent to meet Government spending levels on education and increase spending on road maintenance.

Cllr Janet Morgan said: "We have heard what the Government has said about education, education, education and we have responded to that."

But Tory leader Charles Shouler, whose group proposed a 5.6 per cent tax increase, said: "That level of council tax would be capped."

The Greens proposed a ten per cent tax increase and a budget which prevented cuts to social services by slashing spending on road maintenance and the park and ride.

Group leader Craig Simmons said: "It is a budget which protects the most vulnerable and needy. It penalises other people, particularly those who use our county's roads."

People in Oxford, who pay the highest council tax in the county, will pay an average of £830 once police, city and parish precepts have been added.

Story date: Wednesday 17 February

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